Blackout
by Shadows Twilight
Summary: Sequel to Grey Area. As Monokrome struggles to recover from the loss of his friends, a new enemy emerges from the darkness. Elsewhere, an amnesiatic Kristin Rose struggles to find out who she is. Rated T for mature themes and language. Spoilers for Grey Area inside.
1. Ch 1: Despair

Blackout Ch. 1

Despair

Elizabeth angrily grabbed her coat off of the coat rack and stormed out of her boyfriend's apartment. Behind her, her boyfriend called for her to come back, and in front of her, her husband had just stormed out of the door, having just found his wife with another man, walking out when she yelled at him for not trusting her and following her around.

"Spying bastard," she muttered under her breath as she stormed after him. When she stepped out onto the street, her husband was nowhere to be seen, so she started heading in the direction of their apartment, hoping to catch him.

When he was nowhere to be found, Elizabeth stopped in front of an alleyway and pulled a cigarette from her coat. She was about to light it when she heard a noise from the alleyway behind her. She squinted into the opening, her eyes trying to pierce the darkness.

"Is that you, Anthony?" she said. When no one answered, she grew frustrated.

"You know, if you had just learned to trust me, this would have never happened!" she screamed into the darkness. Again, there was no answer from the alleyway. Her frustration turned to anger, but before she could begin to shout again, she heard another noise. This one was different, like the sound of a snake crawling against gravel. Elizabeth tried to step back, but felt something catch on her leg. She looked down, and shrieked in fear.

A dark tentacle had wrapped around her ankle, and with a strong tug, the tentacle yanked her off of her feet and pulled her into the darkened alley. Elizabeth scrambled to grab ahold of something, but to no avail. As the creature approached her, Elizabeth's mind flooded with images of the Brainiac robots that had been swarming the city. Had one of these creatures captured her to drain her brain of her intelligence, or was she to be one of the worker drones to be put to work building the Sub-Avatars?

A dark figure stepped into view, and when Elizabeth's terrified brain processed what stood before her, a sharp, blood-curdling scream tore through the night air of Metropolis.

* * *

Monokrome dodged the clawed swipe of the Brainiac Subjugator with a flip backwards. When his feet touched the ground, he pushed back towards his cybernetic opponent, driving his sword straight through its chest. The robot spasmed and jerked, but after a second, the light in its eyes went out.

Monokrome was an imposing figure, a six foot height and broad shouldered frame concealed beneath a black suit covered in light grey pieces of silver future-cop armor and organic spiked gauntlets. A tattered cape hung from his shoulders, and his head was masked by a black helmet sporting two bat ears.

Monokrome sighed and looked around for the other one he was fighting with. Ten feet away from him, a young boy with spiky brown hair and an orange and blue caped outfit battled a Brainiac Spark with a large shield.

The young boy swung the edge of his shield at the robots neck, only for the machine to dodge at the last second. The Spark blasted the boy a few feet back, and began to advance upon him. The boy slammed his dark blue boot into the ground, causing several small pillars of earth to erupt from underneath the robot. The Brainiac drone flew into the air and crashed onto its back. It looked up just in time to see the edge of a shield fly down and slam into its neck, instantly decapitating it.

The boy let out a small sigh of relief and slid the shield back onto his arm. He looked over to Monokrome, who had been observing him.

"You could have helped, you know," he said.

Monokrome shook his head, "You need to learn how to handle yourself, Ripwave. Help won't always be there when you're expecting it, so you need to be able to go on without it."

"Yeah, yeah."

Monokrome and surveyed the sight. Sprawled around the street of Gotham's Diamond District were the mangled and twisted remains of a squad of Brainiac's robotic servants. Monokrome looked around, concerned.

"They're branching out further each day," Ripwave said. Monokrome nodded but said nothing. Ripwave looked at the older hero from underneath his orange goggles uncomfortably and then turned back to the Diamond District Police Department. He stepped forward, then stopped and sighed. He turned and looked back at the Grey Warrior.

"You know…" he said, "…Batman wanted me to tell you…you're welcome back anytime. The Justice League always has a place for you, Monokrome."

Monokrome didn't meet the younger hero's gaze, instead keeping his eyes to the ground.

"Tell Batman I appreciate the offer, but…" he paused, "I still need some time alone."

Ripwave rubbed the back of his head, "I know, it's just, it's been two months. We really miss you around the Watchtower."

Monokrome couldn't help but smile, "Oh, I'm sure the Justice League isn't crippled without me."

Ripwave sighed, "I know but…"

"I'm fine, Rip," Monokrome said quietly, "I just need more time."

With that, Monokrome pulled out his grapple gun and fired towards the roof of a nearby, zipping towards the top. Ripwave watched him go, concern etched across his young face.

* * *

Monokrome made it to the roof and sat down, allowing his knees to buckle beneath him. Two months, had it really been so long? Had it really been two months since Sachel and he had fought with the villains Vendettuh and Beelzebub. Two months since they had killed the hero Lexicon, and two months since Sachel had sacrificed herself to stop the demon they had summoned from Hell.

Monokrome grabbed his helmet and lifted it off; he needed the air. Underneath his helmet was a man with short black hair, a black trimmed beard, and grey eyes. Two months ago, his eyes were full of determination and life, but now, after suffering the deaths of Lexicon and Sachel, those eyes were tired and broken.

The man under the helmet, Richard Grare, knew he needed to move on. This wasn't the first time he had lost friends. He had served the GCPD for all of his adult life, so having men and women he knew fall in the line of duty was nothing he hadn't experienced before. So why did they're deaths hit him so hard?

_It's because I didn't just lose friends,_ he thought. The cops that died in the line of duty, and even Lexicon, were good friends, but they were simply friends. Sachel, on the other hand, was something different, something…more. Sachel and he had grown close over time, in fact he would even go so far as to say that they had come to love each other. Losing her was the hardest thing he ever had to go through, and he was finding it hard to move on. All he could think about was that he would give anything to see Sachel again. He would give anything to see Kristin Rose.

* * *

A young woman with shoulder length black hair and blue eyes set the bag containing the few possessions she had down on the floor of her new apartment. It was small, but she was personally happy she had it at all. She was amazed anyone would give an apartment to an amnesiac young woman with no money and no job.

_I can let you stay for about two months worry-free, _the tenant had said. _That should give you enough time to get a good job and get back on your feet._

The young woman smiled. It surprised her how much more generous people were in Metropolis.

"Hi, you must be the new girl."

The young woman turned to see and older woman with long brown hair tied into a braid. The younger woman couldn't explain it, but a small pang of sad recognition flared in her at the sight of this woman. It only lasted a second, however, and she was able to return the older woman's smile.

"Yeah, Mister Richardson said I could have a place to stay while I try to get back on my feet."

The older woman smiled, "Yeah, he does his best to be that kind of nice guy."

She extended her hand, "Well, don't be afraid to be a stranger. I'm Jennifer Conner."

The younger woman smiled and took her hand, "Thanks, I'm Kristin Rose."


	2. Ch 2: Aggression

Blackout Ch. 2

Aggression

Monokrome growled underneath his helmet, trying to untangle the electrified tentacle wrapped around his neck. Towering above him was a Meta variety of Brainiac's Sub-Avatars. It was a large scorpion-like machine covered in crystals and sporting two long electrified tentacles coming from its arms. One of them was wrapped around Monokrome's throat, while the other was being swung towards his legs.

Monokrome acted quickly, projecting a telekinetic burst underneath his feet, propelling him into the air. The tentacle passed harmlessly beneath him, while the Grey Warrior did away with the second with a slice of his bone-hilt katana.

The Sub-Avatar screeched in frustration as Monokrome dropped to the ground. The lone hero rolled out of the way as the arachnoid crashed it's tentacle to the ground. Monokrome dove underneath the creature's body and stabbed upwards into it. The Sub-Avatar screeched in pain and wrapped it's tentacle around his arm. The Avatar jerked Monokrome out from beneath it, leaving his sword in its stomach. The creature crashed him on his back, and Monokrome scowled as he felt the tentacle charge as the Sub-Avatar sent 10,000 volts through the tentacle. Monokrome slowly got to his feet and stared daggers into the Sub-Avatar as the electricity ran down the armor on his arm, but was unable to go further.

"I once knew a man who used that trick," he snarled, venom dripping from every word, "It won't work on me again!"

Monokrome grabbed hold of the tentacle and pulled hard on it. The Sub-Avatar screeched as it felt the tentacle pulling out of its socket. With a determined yell, Monokrome yanked the tentacle free. Not giving the Sub-Avatar the chance at a reprieve, Monokrome leaped at its chest, and buried his hand into the small crevice in between the creature's chest plates. The creature snarled as Monokrome wrenched the plates open, and screamed as he plunged his hand into its chest cavity. The Avatar writhed in pain until, with a final wrench, Monokrome yanked out the Sub-Avatar's power core.

Sub-Avatar went completely still, and all of its light's dimmed. After a minute, it toppled and fell onto its side in a tremendous crash. Monokrome gave a sigh of relief as he dropped the power core.

"Very impressive, though I'd have figured you'd know better than to take one on your own."

Monokrome spun and saw Batman standing behind him. _How long has he been there? _Monokrome wondered.

The Grey Warrior shrugged, "Clearly not as foolish as one would think, seeing as I won."

Batman scowled, "You sound almost disappointed. It was still foolish regardless of your luck."

Monokrome said nothing. Instead he turned to the cybernetic corpse and retrieved his sword.

"Mind if I ask what you're doing down here, sir? Usually you're helping the others command the war from the Watchtower, not out in the field."

"I came looking for you, as a matter of fact," Batman said, "We need your help with something."

Monokrome sighed, "Yes, Ripwave delivered your message. I'll tell you like I told him: I'll come back to the League when I'm ready. I just need more time."

"More time for what, Monokrome, for you to hurl yourself into even more reckless endangerments? More time to get yourself killed?"

Monokrome glared at the Dark Knight.

"In any case," he said through gritted teeth, "I'm not one to be called for League business."

"Except this isn't for the League," Batman said. He pulled a police file from behind is back and handed it to Monokrome. "A body was found in Midtown Metropolis earlier this afternoon. It had some…peculiar aspects to it, and we had hoped you would be able to help look into it."

"Why me?" Monokrome asked.

"Read the file."

Monokrome hesitantly opened the file and looked at the first page. What he saw caused his eyes to grow wide in fear and disbelief.

"This…this can't be real!" he stammered.

Batman nodded, "That's what we thought as well. That's why we wanted to talk to you. Do you think you can help us out?"

Monokrome mulled it over in his head. His pride and stubbornness told him that this was just an excuse to convince him to come back to the League, but at the same time, he could not ignore the image he had right in front of him.

Monokrome closed the file, and looked at Batman.

"All right," he said, "Let's go to Metropolis."

* * *

Kristin walked down the street of Metropolis, trying to keep her eyes open as she walked home from her first day of work. It wasn't that hard to find a job. She actually found herself waiting at Bibbo's Diner, the first place she remembered waking up at. She felt she could come to enjoy the place, but then, the first day at any job can be rough.

Kristin collapsed on a park bench, exhausted. She closed her eyes for a moment and tried to let the stress of the day just go. Perhaps she would take up Miss Conner's offer to join her for dinner that night after all. To be honest, homemade chicken pot pie did sound extremely delicious, and if the smells Kristin had smelled from the older woman's apartment were anything to go by, she was one hell of a cook.

Kristin had been staying at her small apartment for about two weeks now. In that time, she had grown close to Jennifer. She was very helpful in helping Kristin settle in, and would often invite her over for coffee and talking. She was very nice, and was fun to listen to. She was also always willing to listen to whatever Kristin had to say, whether it was her offering her opinion on something, or if there was just something Kristin wanted to get off her chest.

Still, behind Jennifer's soft, kind eyes, Kristin swore she saw something more behind it. It was almost like some form of pain or sadness that Miss Conner always fought to keep buried. It always concerned Kristin whenever she saw glimpses of it, but she never asked her about it. She just hoped that Miss Conner would talk to her about it when she needed to.

Kristin opened her eyes and gazed ahead of her. A couple hundred feet in front of her, the evening sun was shining off the memorial statue of Superman that decorated the center of the park. Kristin looked into the golden face of the hero, and chuckled as she wondered if the hero was just as stoic and serious in person as the statue suggested.

For some reason, her eyes were drawn to the arm of the statue. At first she chastised herself for admiring the biceps of a statue, but then she realized that that wasn't what drew her gaze. As she looked a second longer, she realized that the golden finish on the arm was a bit shinier than the rest of the memorial, almost as if…

_Almost as if it was replaced recently._

A jolt of pain slashed through Kristin's head, causing her to grip her skull and cry out. A flood of disconcerted images and feelings flashed through her mind, too fast for her to process all at once.

_A flash of light, a piercing pain, absolute dread, falling debris._

Kristin gripped her head harder as the pain increased, and then, just as quickly as it started, the flood of images stopped. Kristin sat on the bench, gasping for air as she tried to comprehend what just happened.

_Were those…my memories?_


	3. Ch 3: Frustration

Blackout Ch. 3

Frustration

Charlie burst past a couple on the street, running like his life depended on it. Behind him, he heard the couple calling him many unseemly names, while behind them, he heard the GCPD officer commanding him to stop.

_Not on your life, pig, _Charlie thought. He rounded a corner and then almost immediately rounded into a side alley. He quickly ducked behind a dumpster, and breathed as a sigh of relief as he heard the police officer run past

_How long will it take for them not to fall for that? _Charlie giggled. He opened the bag he carried and gave himself a huge round of applause as he gazed at the large amount of cash he had just "earned." So what if he was only able to do it with his new exobyte powers? So what if a few innocents had to be burnt along the way? The only thing that mattered is that he was a rich man now, and there was nothing that could stop him from getting what he wanted.

A soft sound distracted Charlie from his celebration. Thinking quickly, the criminal summoned a fireball in his hand, both as a weapon and as a means to light up the darkened alleyway. The firelight revealed nothing, so Charlie stepped forward and raised his hand higher, hoping to find the source of the noise.

"Charles 'Ignus' Mallone."

Charlie spun around at the sound of the incredibly deep voice behind him only for a powerful hand to grip his skull. Charlie hurled his fireball at the figure that held him, but the being never flinched. All the fire managed to do was light up the being's features, and when Charlie saw the creature that held him from in between its fingers, all he could managed was a stifled scream of terror.

* * *

Monokrome stared at the body strewn about before him, not sure whether or not to believe his eyes.

The body seemed to be that of a woman, but any other details were unable to be determined due to the body's state. If Monokrome was to describe it, he felt the best way to do so would be as a withered husk, more than a body. The skin was shriveled, grey, and dry, and seemed as if there was nothing between the skin and bones. The muscle seemed to be gone, or at least dissolved, as the area surrounding was covered in a fine dust. The state of this body was all too familiar to Monokrome.

"Now you see why we wanted you to take a look," Batman said, standing behind him. Monokrome nodded.

"This is almost exactly the same as how Nathan left the villains he killed in Memorial Park," he said, remembering how the Demon had left those who had summoned him. The Grey shuddered as the images of Beelzebub and Vendettuh being grabbed by dark tentacles and drained to clouds of dust.

"Do you know if this is Nathan again?" Batman asked.

"I'm not sure," Monokrome said. "With all due respect, Batman, I realize I saw this kind of thing firsthand, but I don't exactly fancy myself an expert on divine mysticism, or anything magical at all. Isn't there anyone else that would be more qualified to look in on this?"

Batman shook his head, "After Nathan's attack on Memorial Park, we questioned anyone of our allies who might have knowledge about him and his capabilities. None of them had heard of Nathan before, nor were his abilities common among demons. Based on your report, Doctor Fate and Zatanna speculated that this particular ability may have been a perversion of a power given to him by his supervisors to do his job tracking down demons.

"As for you, the Justice League wants this matter taken care of, but with Brainiac's forces escalating their plans, we need as many of our people concentrated on them as we can spare. You, on the other hand, are a skilled investigator, and have more experience with this than anyone else we know. It also so happens that you aren't a part of the Justice League at the moment, so you aren't obliged to aid in the war against Brainiac."

Batman paused, "I suppose we hoped…that if we couldn't call on you as a Leaguer, we could at least count on you as an ally."

Monokrome thought about it for a while. As much as he hated to admit it, he understood where Batman was coming from, and while he had little experience with the mystical and supernatural, he had a feeling he had a lead on how to get in contact with those that did.

Monokrome straightened up and turned to his old mentor.

"I can take it from here, Dark Knight."

Batman didn't smile (he never did), but his features softened considerably.

"Thank you, Richard."

Monokrome smiled, "Not a problem…you know you've really got me at a huge disadvantage on that one."

* * *

Kristin arrived at her apartment, exhausted from the day's work, and exasperated from the torrent of images that had gone through her head at the park. What did these memories mean? Why didn't they make any sense?

The amnesiac woman gripped her head, trying her hardest to retain all that she had seen. Why was it so hard to keep ahold of them? She felt like the harder she tried to remember any of it, the fuzzier and vaguer the memories became. She shook her head in frustration.

Deciding to give the issue a rest for the moment, Kristin opted instead to take a quick shower. She figured it would be a good idea to meet Miss Conner with her exhausting day still attached to her.

Ten minutes late, she was refreshed and dressed, and standing knocking on Jennifer's door. Miss Connor opened the door with a smile, and Kristin was elated at the smell of homemade chicken pot pies.

The two women spoke for most of their meal, with Kristin venting about work, and Jennifer consoling her younger friend with her own tales of workforce mishaps. Later, after Kristin insisted on helping Miss Conner cleaning up after dinner, she noticed the window box Jennifer had in her window. A small assortment of marigolds, tulips, and daisies were being grown, and they were the healthiest and most beautiful flowers Kristin could remember ever seeing.

"Your flowers are so beautiful," she said, "I've never seen them so vibrant."

Jennifer smiled as she joined the younger woman at the window, "Thank you dear. I work as a botanist at Metropolis Gardens, an interest my daughter picked up when she was younger. She gave me these as a Christmas present a few years ago, and I've taken care of them ever since."

Kristin turned, "You have a daughter?"

Jennifer's eyes softened, "Yeah. You remind me of her a lot as a matter of fact."

Miss Conner grew silent for a minute, then turned and smiled at Kristin, "Anyway, I didn't mean to hold you for so long. You must be exhausted."

Kristin agreed and bid Jennifer good night, but despite the older woman's kind smile, Kristin could not ignore the sadness in her eyes.


	4. Ch 4: Concern

Blackout Ch. 4

Concern

"So what do you think?" Monokrome asked.

He was standing in front of a medical table looking down at the shriveled corpse of the woman found in the Metropolis alleyway. After the local cops had finished processing the scene, they agreed to turn the investigation over to the Justice League. Though he was no longer a member of the League, Batman nonetheless allowed Monokrome access to the Watchtower and other Justice League resources. Monokrome promptly had the body moved to the Watchtower morgue (a place he didn't know existed until Batman told him) in hopes that she could be identified as well as her cause of death confirmed.

To do so, he enlisted the help of the Phantom Stranger and Raven, who stood above the body on the other side of the room, examining the magical energies that may or may not permeate from the husk.

Raven looked at the Phantom Stranger, and they both nodded.

"The energies surrounding this unfortunate woman are indeed similar to the Demon Nathan's victims," the Phantom Stranger said.

"As with the others, this woman was completely drained of darkness, a process that ended her life," Raven added.

Monokrome nodded, "Do you know if there is any way to identify her?"

The Phantom Stranger nodded, "That is a much simpler matter."

He waved his hand over the victim's face, and the body began to glow. A swirl of magical energy surrounded the husk, and when it dissipated, the body was restored to its normal condition.

"Impressive," said Monokrome. He activated a scanner on his gauntlet and scanned the victim's face into the Watchtower's databases. A few minutes later, a name appeared on Monokrome's holographic display.

"Elizabeth Jane Baker," Monokrome read, "Nothing really noteworthy. She had a few shoplifting counts in her youth, but nothing to suggest that she had much darkness offer."

Raven shook her head, "Not all darkness presents itself as crime and villainy. Some of the darkest hearts belong to everyday people."

Monokrome bowed his head deep in thought. After a minute, he looked up and said, "If it's not too much to ask, I have one more request. The last time Nathan was here, he had to be summoned by a third party. Is it possible to determine if such a summoning has occurred again?"

The Phantom Stranger cocked his head, "It was my understanding that the Demon Nathan was destroyed by Archangel Sachel."

Monokrome started at the mentioning of Sachel's name, "That's…that's correct. However, of all the things that he has been shown to be capable, I wouldn't be surprised if he found a way to survive."

Raven shook her head, "Regardless, demon summoning's happen all the time all over the world. Even if he somehow did survive and was summoned again, there would be no way to identify it from the hundreds of others."

Monokrome nodded, "Makes sense I suppose. Fortunately, there is one more lead I can follow. Thank you for your help."

Raven and the Phantom Stranger nodded as Monokrome made his way to the Zeta beams back to Earth. He had one more stop to make before heading up his other lead.

* * *

Kristin drummed her fingers nervously. The room she was in was very comforting. The white walls and carpet was very relaxing, and the chair she was sitting in was actually quite comfortable. Despite this, Kristin was still very anxious for what she was about to do. Heck, the comforting feel of it kind of made her even more nervous.

Sitting across from her, an older Asian-American woman with black hair tied in a ponytail. She noticed Kristin's fidgeting and smiled.

"Are you nervous, Miss Rose," she asked.

Kristin started from the comment and placed her lands in her lap, "No, I mean, a bit, I guess. It's just…I've never done anything like this before, Miss Kwon, so I guess I just don't know what to expect."

Miss Kwon nodded, "Admittedly, using hypnosis on amnesia patients has had…limited results at best. I can't really promise anything concrete from this. We only have to do this if you're ok with it."

Kristin nodded, "Yes, I do." Kristin smiled, "I suppose I just hope I don't wake up to find out I've done anything embarrassing."

Kwon smiled, "Don't worry, Kristin. While under hypnosis, you will have complete control over yourself. I can't make you do anything you don't want to do; all I can do is give you a little…nudge… here and there."

Miss Kwon leaned forward, "So, are we ready to begin, Miss Rose?"

Kristin nodded. The hypnotist smiled, "In that case, I'm going to ask you to close your eyes."

Kristin shifted in her seat, placed her hands on the arms of the couch, and closed her eyes.

She heard Kwon's voice from across the room, "Now then Kristin, I want you to imagine a happy place. A place where you feel safe and comfortable, where no one can hurt you."

A haze began to form in Kristin's mind as it struggled to find such a place. After a moment, however, it began to clear and she found herself in sitting at a bench in Memorial Park. She felt the sun shining down on her face, and a light breeze blew through the air. The sounds of people and the city were gone, and Kristin realized that she was completely alone.

"Describe this place to me," Kwon's voice, now sounding far away, cut through the silence.

"I'm…in the park," Kristin said, her voice feeling small yet loud in the silent stillness, "I'm on the bench…I can feel the sun. It's so beautiful here."

Again, Kwon's distant voice broke the silent air, "I want you to look at the bench beside you. Sitting at that bench is someone very close to you, someone you have not seen in some time. Can you see them?"

Kristin turned her head and gave herself a small chuckle. Sitting at the bench was a woman with brown hair. Her hair obscured her face as it blew in the wind, but she would recognize that braid anywhere.

"Do you see them?" Kwon asked. Kristin nodded.

"Who is it?"

Kristin chuckled again, "It's Miss Conner, the woman who lives in the apartment across from mine. We like to talk a lot and she makes an amazing chicken…"

Kristin stopped as the woman turned her head towards her and Kristin was able to see her face. She didn't understand, this woman looked like Jennifer, but she looked so much…younger. Her eyes were blue where Miss Conner's were brown, and the slightest hint of freckles dotted her cheeks.

"Something wrong?" Kwon asked.

"It's…it's not her it's…someone else," Kristin said.

"Do you know her?"

Kristin wanted to answer, but she didn't know how. She was sure she had never seen this woman before, and yet there was someone extremely familiar about her, beyond her resemblance to Miss Conner. Kristin realized she had the same feeling of familiarity when she had first met Jennifer.

"Can you tell me her name?"

Kristin's wanted to say yes, but as much as she wanted to, the name of the young woman alluded her.

The young woman smiled, and as Kristin smiled back, images flashed in her head, like they had when she looked at the statue in the park.

_The young woman twirled around, showing off her new green dress._

_Kristin stood in an apartment she didn't recognize, watching the woman mixing herbs with some kind of pop._

_The young proudly posing in her new outfit, a black jumpsuit covered in a vine pattern with an embellished cape and a v-domino mask._

Kristin grabbed onto her head, fearing the memories would fade as quickly as they had before, but instead, they stayed fresh and clear in her mind. As she relaxed, she began to hear a soft, caring voice.

"_We need to remember these things," the voice said, "If we're going to be living together, we might as well start being friends now."_

Kristin smiled at the sound of her voice, and then she realized Kwon was speaking again.

"Who is she, Miss Rose?"

"I…I can't remember her name, but…she was my friend."

Miss Kwon spoke again, "This is very good, Miss Rose. Now I want you to look around. Do you see anyone else?"

Kristin reluctantly took her eyes off of the brunette, hoping that she wouldn't disappear once she lost sight of her. Kristin looked around and saw sitting near the statue a man with short black hair and a beard. He was wearing a black leather jacket over a dark blue shirt, and when Kristin looked harder, she thought she saw a glint of gold gleaming on his belt.

"I see a man," Kristin said, "I think…I think he's a cop."

"A man?" Kwon said, "Who is he?"

Kristin began to answer, but stopped when she saw something else.

Standing behind the cop was another man, this one much taller and with long black hair. He had his back to Kristin, but his bare torso revealed a large, muscular frame covered in scars.

"There's someone else," Kristin said, "I can't see his face."

"Do you recognize him?" Kwon asked.

"I don't…" Kristin gasped as the man turned around. His face was clean shaven and strong, but it was his eyes that frightened her. His eyes were deep red, like the color of blood, and they were filled with the deepest, most intense hatred Kristin had ever seen.

As she stared into his eyes, the park around her was replaced with fire and darkness. Kristin looked round, but the woman and man were gone. In their place, screams of agony and terror filled the air. Kristin looked up and nearly screamed by what she saw.

Fire was blazing everywhere. All around her, people were crying in pain and agony, crying for someone to save them, crying for someone to end their pain. Mothers held their children as fires consumed them, and men fell to the ground to shield themselves from the debris of falling buildings. Kristin realized she was standing. She looked down and gasped. She was wearing a black robe over a red armored chest piece. Her hands were covered in armored gauntlets, and her feet in armored boots. She looked up and shrieked in surprise.

The man was on the ground, trying to crawl away from her. He looked at her with tears in his eyes, begging her for mercy, begging her for forgiveness. Kristin reached out a hand towards him, but jumped back in horror to see her hand holding a bladed weapon. She looked and found he was holding one in both hands. There was a flash of light and the weapons were suddenly covered in blood. She looked down and screamed as she saw the man beneath her twitching as blood poured from the stab wounds in his chest. He reached a hand towards her, struggling to breath.

"Sach…el," the man said, gasping for air.

As his hand dropped, Kristin screamed and grabbed her head as her mind threatened to explode from the memories that came pouring in.

_An old man with golden hair and a goatee, his glowing eyes filled with sorrow and pain._

_A man in armor and a bat-like helmet lifting his sword to block a man in a hood's guns._

_A madman covered in black and red demonic armor, flames pouring from his hand._

_Sachel looked down and in her arms she held the burnt and broken body of her dearest friend. Tears filled her eyes as her emotions threatened to boil over. In an instant, fear, loneliness, rage, and hate consumed her. Fire burned within her, begging to be let out, pleading to unleash itself onto the world and destroy everything that had ever caused her pain._

_And all she could do was scream. _


	5. Ch 5: Sorrow

Blackout Ch. 5

Sorrow

Richard Grare sat in silence as he waited for the man in front of him process what he had just told him. He was sitting in the living room of an apartment in Midtown Metropolis, while the husband of Elizabeth Baker stood against the wall, his back to Richard, trying to collect himself.

After leaving the Watchtower, Monokrome looked into Elizabeth's file and found her husband, Anthony, and decided to deliver the news to him. Deciding that a man outfitted in tech armor, a tattered cape, and a bat-helmet showing up on his door wouldn't be the best way for the man to find out his wife had just been murdered, Monokrome instead opted to change into his civilian identity. He found the man's apartment and introduced himself as a deputy of the Justice League.

Anthony was an older man with graying hair and strong features. He welcomed Richard inside friendly enough, but when Richard delivered the news, all emotion left his face. Now, Richard sat on his couch waiting for Anthony to react to the news.

After a while, Anthony sighed and said quietly, "That selfish bitch. She couldn't even let me hate her properly."

Richard cocked his head, "I'm sorry?"

Mr. Baker sighed again and turned around, sinking into his chair, "For a few weeks I was getting the feeling that Elizabeth hadn't been…faithful…to me. I tried talking to her about it, but she would simply throw a guilt trip at me for not trusting her. Eventually, I followed her on one of her outings, and sure enough I found her with another man. When she didn't come home afterwards, I figured she had just stayed at his place overnight."

Monokrome didn't say anything, but couldn't help but take note of what he had just said.

_The victim was cheating on her husband right before she was targeted for her sin. Is it possible that that was what put her in Nathan's crosshairs, or was she simply sinful enough to begin with, and the recent adultery was a simple coincidence?_

After a moment, Anthony looked up and asked, "I'm sorry, but if you don't mind me asking, why is the Justice League looking into this? Shouldn't this be a job for the local police?"

Richard stirred uncomfortably, "Under normal circumstances, yes. However, it is a possibility that your wife's death may have had some…otherworldly aspects to it that standard police don't have the resources to investigate properly."

Anthony cocked his eyebrow, "Otherworldly? You mean like this alien the League is at war with?"

"Details are a bit sketchy at this moment, but that is a possibility," Richard lied. He figured that this man didn't need to hear exactly how his wife had died, not yet at least, so it was probably best not to tell him.

Anthony nodded, "Well, if there's anything else I can do for you, Mr. Grare, you be sure to let me know."

"Of course," Richard said. He stood up, shook Anthony's hand, and took his leave. Now that he had informed the husband, there was only one place he could think of to go where he might be able to find someone that would be able to help him.

It was time to go to church.

* * *

"Miss Rose! Please, wake up! Miss Rose!"

Kristin's eyes snapped open and she quickly realized that she was lying on the floor in Miss Kwon's office. Kwon was kneeling above her, looking very flustered and very worried.

Kwon let out a sigh of relief, "Are you ok, Miss Rose?"

Kristin sat up, groaning at the gorilla playing the congas in her skull.

"I think so," she groaned, "What happened?"

"I'm not sure," Miss Kwon said, "You were talking about seeing another man, then you seemed to get agitated. I tried to talk you down but you didn't seem to be able to hear me. Suddenly you started screaming and then you collapsed on the floor."

She rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed, "I'm not going to lie, I have never seen anything like it before."

Kristin groaned again as she lifted herself back onto the chair.

Kwon leaned forward, "Do you remember anything of what you saw?"

"I'm not…sure," Kristin said, "I remember seeing a man behind the first one, but I didn't recognize them, and after that it got really hazy. I think I remember something warm, and…I think I remember a name."

Kwon raised her eyebrow, "A name?"

Kristin nodded, "I think it was…Sachel."

"Sayshul?" Kwon said, intrigued, "Does that name mean anything to you?"

"I…I think it does," Kristin said, "but…I don't know what it means exactly."

Miss Kwon nodded, "Interesting."

The hypnotist looked at the clock, "I think we have done enough for today. I understand if you don't desire to try this again."

Kristin nodded, "Maybe, I don't know."

She stood up and shook Kwon's hand, "Thank you, Miss Kwon, I think you've been a big help."

Kwon smiled as she too stood up and accepted Kristin's hand, "The pleasure was all mine, Miss Rose. Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Kristin smiled and nodded, then turned to leave. As she made her way out of the building, worry began to creep in her mind. She was telling the truth when she said that her recollection of her time under was hazy, but of the few images she could salvage from the session, one of them, one of them was of her standing above the terrified man with blood on her hands.

Kristin walked out of the door and put her head down, frightened.

_Who the hell am I?_

* * *

Richard stood in the middle of the empty cathedral, trying to figure out what to do next. Admittedly, when he thought up of this idea, it seemed pretty straightforward. Now that he was here, he wasn't entirely sure how to proceed.

Deciding to go with the only idea he could come up with, Richard approached the altar. He knelt before it, and bowed his head, clasped his hands, closed his eyes, and began to pray.

_How's it going up there, _he thought awkwardly, _Umm, I realize I don't do this often, but I'm in need of some help from someone up there. If somehow this message can get to Archangel Gabriel, I really need to talk to him._

"I suppose that is one way to go about," an amused voice said behind him.

Richard spun around to see a lone figure where thin air had just been. The man was tall and imposing, blonde hair slicked back and wrapped by a golden band. A gold and white robe trailed past his knees and two leather gauntlets wrapped around his muscular arms. Above a short beard, the man's eyes glowed blue.

Richard smiled, "Archangel Gabriel."

Gabriel smiled, "It is good to see you again, Richard."

Richard nodded, "It's good to see you too. I'm kind of impressed. I didn't think it would be so easy to gain an audience with the Archangel of Love."

Gabriel let the veiled remark slide, "We decided that after all the help you were in dealing with Nathan the least we could was keep an ear out for you in case you ever needed our help."

Richard rubbed the back of his head, "About that, I presume you already know about what's been going on down here and why I need your help."

Gabriel frowned, "Actually, I do not. We angels don't like to broadcast it much, omnipotence is a gift usually only present in one heavenly body. The Earth is a large place, and though our attention is larger than that of humans, we cannot see everything."

"I see," Richard said, and then proceeded to fill Gabriel in about the person found with their darkness drained out, and it being explained to Richard that as far as most Magic experts knew, only Nathan had ever exhibited such power.

Gabriel stroked his beard, "The ability to harvest another's darkness and adding to your own is a rare ability, but not exclusive to Nathan. It was originally used by some of the greater demons in Hell as a means to gain enough power to escape Hell. Nathan was known for being crafty with his abilities, and thus used it on humans so that his human container could not sustain the added corrupted energy."

Richard nodded in understanding, "Is it possible that it was Nathan who did this?"

Gabriel shook his head, "After Sachel defeated Nathan, we spent weeks scouring the globe for any trace of Nathan. There were a few fragments of his power left, but they dissipated over time, and it wouldn't have been enough to revitalize him anyway."

Richard bowed his head, "And…Sachel?"

Gabriel bowed his head as well, "I wanted to look, but the other Archangels reminded me that if so little remained of Nathan, then Sachel wouldn't have fared much better. They said that looking would only prolong the grief for the sake of false hope, and unfortunately I knew they were right."

Richard nodded, it made sense. Deciding to change the subject, he remembered the thought he had earlier.

"Elizabeth Baker was committing adultery moments before her death," he said. "Is it possible that that may have attracted her killer?"

Gabriel thought about it for a minute, "I suppose that the presence of fresh sin would be more appealing, as the longer as sin sits within a soul, the better chance there is of one atoning for that sin. However, with so much sin in this world, especially inside a city as large as this, it will be difficult to determine what made her so special."

"Although…" Gabriel continued, "If it is sin your killer wants, I do believe I have a way to draw him out."

Richard's eyes lit up, "Really, you could help with that."

"I can," Gabriel said, smiling, "That is, if you'd except help from the Archangel of Love."

Richard smiled, "In that case, let's go hunt a demon."

* * *

Kristin walked down the street of Metropolis, her mind numb from worry and stress. As she walked, the young woman noticed that she was passing by a cemetery. Absentmindedly, Kristin decided to pay it a visit. Who knows, maybe she'll recognize a name or something. Desperate numb minds mean desperate numb actions.

As Kristin wandered throughout the yard, she began to wonder about the kind of lives these people must have lead. Did they have families, friends? Did they have people that miss them now that they were gone?

_Do I have somebody missing me now? _she wondered. _Is there somebody out there waiting for me to come home, wondering where I am?_

She thought of the woman with the brown braid and the man with the black beard. Were they her friends? Were they looking for her right now? Did they even know if she was alive? Did they even know her well enough to care?

Kristin's brooding was interrupted when she realized that she was coming up to someone visiting a grave. Kristin decided to keep walking figuring the best way to keep from disturbing them was to keep from doing anything that would draw their attention. As she got closer, she realized that she recognized the woman, though she couldn't figure out where from.

When she got close enough, Kristin gasped when she realized that, though her hair was down, it was Jennifer.

Miss Conner heard Kristin's gasped and turned her head in surprise, but relaxed when she saw who it was.

"Oh," she said, a sad smile forming on her face, "I did not expect to see you here."

"I'm so sorry," Kristin said frantically, "I wasn't trying to spy or intrude I was just walking through and I saw you here and I'm sorry, I'll be going now."

Jennifer let out a small chuckle, "It's ok, child, I think I could use the company today."

She looked back to the grave and said, "It's just, it's her birthday."

Kristin walked up and read the name on the stone.

Alexis Conner

September 12th 1989 – July 20th 2013

"This is your daughter," Kristin realized. Jennifer nodded, tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry," Kristin said quietly, "If you don't mind me asking, what happened."

Jennifer smiled, "She died fighting in the war against the alien. The man who told me made sure to mention that she died trying to protect a good friend of hers. I suppose…" She paused as a tear, "…I suppose that was how she was, always trying to help."

A painful pang of recognition appeared in Kristin's head at her words. She began to realize it had been there since she had read the name, but she had been too busy listening to Jennifer to notice.

Jennifer smiled again as another tear joined the first, "My sweet little Lexicon."

Kristin let out a cry of pain as her mind felt like it was trying to explode. Jennifer looked up quickly, frightened.

"Kristin, are you alright!?"

"I…I don't…" Kristin struggled to find her voice behind the images in her mind trying to explode. Kristin managed to hold it back long enough to say, "I'm sorry Miss Conner, I need to go."

With that, she quickly left the cemetery and made her way back to her apartment.

* * *

Kristin crashed through the door to her apartment and closed it just in time for her mind to have enough of her restraint. Kristin let out another cry of pain as a tsunami of memories crashed into her mind.

_Fire and brimstone fell from the sky as countless of innocents howled in agony._

Kristin grabbed her head as memory after memory flooded her brain.

_She lifted her sword to parry the Roman Soldier's, before striking his face with her shield._

Slowly, Kristin sank to her knees, succumbing to the onslaught of buried images, noises, and feelings

_A man in tech armor and a bat-mask reached out his hand to her._

_ "I'm Monokrome," he said, "and you are?"_

_ Kristin took his hand, smiling, "Nice to meet you, Monokrome, my name is…"_

"My…my name is…" Kristin grunted.

_Kristin wept as she cradled the body of Lexicon, her best friend and roommate, whom she had found murdered by a villain aiming to hurt her._

"My…my name…!" Kristin growled in frustration.

In a flash, the chaos in Kristin's mind was gone, and for the first time in so long, everything was once again clear.

Kristin immediately got to her feet, and her eyes snapped open, a blue glow shining from them with a light like never before.

"My name," she cried out, "is Archangel Sachel!"


	6. Ch 6: Fear

Blackout Ch. 6

Fear

Ripwave flipped backwards as a gigantic war axe came crashing down where he had just been standing. The young hero landed and looked up, only to raise his shield as a yellow construct hammer smashed down upon it.

Above him, the Yellow Lantern laughed. The Lantern was enclosed in a black and yellow jumpsuit, the yellow design of his uniform augmented by mystical lines of light. His hair was slicked upwards and he wore a black domino mask with yellow glowing eyes. The villain's most striking feature, however, was his skin. It was almost as it had been replaced by a window into the cosmos, with stars and constellations visible through the Lantern's face like a window into the heaven's.

The villain slammed his axe into Ripwave's shield again. The young geomancer smiled.

"Gee, dude I've heard of a spotty complexion before, but you're just ridiculous."

The Lantern smiled and hooked his axe under Ripwave's shield and flipped it upwards. The shield flew out of Ripwave's hand, and the villain sent his axe towards the hero. Unfazed, Ripwave stomped his foot to the ground. A dozen earth pillars rocketed from the ground, launching the Lantern backwards, landing hard on his back. Ripwave grabbed his shield and flipped onto the highest pillar. Ripwave glanced to the villain's hand. He was relieved to see that the "ring" was only a construct rather than an actual ring. This meant he got his powers from an exobyte rather than an actual Sinestro Corps ring, which was good news for Ripwave. Exobyte Lanterns may not have to recharge after a while like normal Lanterns, but they were also far weaker.

Ripwave pointed to the "ring," "That energy's usually reserved for those that inspire fear in others." He crouched, smiling, "What'd you do, terrorize a bunch of third graders?"

The villain leapt to his feet and sent a blast of energy at Ripwave, destroying the pillars. Ripwave landed on his feet as the villain stood to full height.

"Don't condescend me little bruh," he said, "I am Timor Fantasm! It means 'Ghost of Fear!'"

Ripwave cocked his eye, "In what language?"

Timor was taken aback, "Uh, it's Latin, ain't it?"

Ripwave shook his head, "No, I'm pretty sure 'Ghost of Fear' in Latin would be 'Spiritum Timoris.' I'm pretty sure whoever told you otherwise just made it up."

Timor growled and changed the subject, "It doesn't matter! I, Timor Fantasm of ΦΑΕΡ, will not lose to the likes of you!"

"Phi Alpha…?" Ripwave muttered, then slapped his face into his palm, "I'm dealing with a FRAT LANTERN!?"

"We're not a frat, bruh. ΦΑΕΡ is an intricate sophisticated organization dedicated to spreading fear and despair throughout the world!" Timor boasted, "Plus, no frat could ever hope to score the kind of chicks ΦΑΕΡ can."

"Yeah, I'm sure you guys can host one heck of a kegger," Ripwave said sarcastically. Deciding not to wait for the frat boy to reply, the geomancer slammed his foot into the ground once again, This time, rather than a group of pillars, a large shell of earth rose from the ground and surrounded the Yellow Lantern. Timor yelped in surprise and dropped his axe as the shell encompassed him.

Ripwave straightened up and gave himself a small smile of congratulations as he approached the shell. He heard the villain inside yelling and pounding on the shell.

_Moron, _Ripwave thought. _He can create anything he can think of, yet can't figure out a way out a rock ball._

Ripwave bent over and picked up Timor's war axe.

"So why do you carry this thing around with you if you can create any weapon you want to with a thought," he shouted at the earth shell. "I mean, is it really a strain on your imagination to create a simple axe?"

Timor didn't answer, and Ripwave realized that he couldn't hear him anymore. He tapped on the shell.

"Yo, frat boy, you still in there?" he shouted. Without warning, he heard a loud cracking sound and a strangled scream of terror. Ripwave quickly raised his hands and brought them down, collapsing the shell. He raised his shield, ready for anything.

When the smoke cleared, Ripwave was shocked to find that the villain had disappeared. Where the Lantern had been standing a moment ago, a large hole had appeared in the ground.

After a second's hesitation, Ripwave dove into the hole after the villain.

_Maybe he's smarter than I thought, _Ripwave thought.

He landed in a sewer line, and he heard what sounded like struggling further down. Ripwave moved cautiously down the tunnel, holding his shield at the ready. The sound of fighting above was soon punctuated by flashes of yellow light and the sound of screaming. It continued around the corner of the tunnel, until, without warning, it stopped.

Ripwave peered around the corner, and what he saw made his blood freeze.

The only light in the sewer came from the ring construct around Timor Fantasm's finger. The light was only enough to illuminate his face as he grappled with what had wrapped around it.

The ring illuminated an impossibly large arm, but one unlike Ripwave had ever seen. It was almost looked like it had been made out of some dark ooze for a demonic creature from another world. The muscles seemed almost random in their twisted arrangement, and a dark spike erupted from the elbow. The hand, wrapped around Timor's face, was clawed and large, the fingertips ending in spikes, the knuckles sharp and jagged.

What surprised Ripwave the most, however, was what it was attached to. Timor's ring did little to illuminate more than the arm, but from what little of a silhouette Ripwave was able to see, it almost looked like a normal sized man.

Ripwave strained his eyes to see more, but before he got the chance, something happened.

The creature clenched its fist around Timor's head, muffling a terrified scream from the Lantern. Dark energy began to flow from the villain into the dark creature. Some of the energy flowed right into the dark figure, while some traveled further until it met into a ball in what Ripwave could only assume was the creature's other hand. The cosmic effect of Timor's skin faded as it turned grey, and his body began to shrivel. Eventually, the light from his ring construct died, and the last thing Ripwave saw before the light faded was Timor's body collapsing in a cloud of dust.

It was all Ripwave could do not to scream.

* * *

Ripwave bolted through the sewer, praying that whatever it was that had just murdered Timor Fantasm wasn't now chasing him.

_I don't understand, _the young geomancer thought. _I thought the soul-sucking demon was supposed to be in Metropolis. What is it doing here?_

Ripwave had, along with most of the rest of the Watchtower, heard of the demon Nathan as well as Monokrome's case, but seeing it happen right in front of him, well, it was almost a little too much for a thirteen-year-old to bear.

Ripwave found the hole he had entered through and slammed the ground, causing a pillar of earth to launch him through. He made his way to the nearest GCPD station, the same thought running through his mind.

_I need to get to Metropolis. I need to find Monokrome!_


	7. Ch 7: Anxiety

Blackout Ch. 7

Anxiety

Monokrome looked down at the object in his hands.

"This looks a lot like a book."

Standing in front of him, Gabriel gave a soft chuckle. When he had returned from Heaven with the bait for the one who drained Elizabeth's darkness, he came back looking different. He was a tall man wearing a white organic-like bodysuit and a white hooded cape. While his face was lost behind the glow it emitted, Monokrome could see the smirk behind it.

The Grey Warrior was not surprised to see the Archangel in such a guise. He had used the same disguise two months earlier when he was undercover in the Justice League when he was watching over Sachel. Then, he was posing as a lightning wielding hero known as Specter Levitas.

Levitas gestured to the tome, "That's because it is a book. This is a copy of the 'Tome of Sin.' Its pages contain an impression of every sin man is capable of, both big and small, as well as the variations of them. If our drainer is attracted to darkness, this will be irresistible to him or her."

Monokrome nodded. He did not quite understand how a book could contain sins, but then magic and the divine were not his strong suits.

"Okay, we have our bait, now how what about our trap?"

Gabriel nodded, "For that, we will need an isolated location, far from prying eyes."

Monokrome nodded and stood up. After about an hour of searching, they found a secluded alleyway on the outskirts of Metropolis that Gabriel agreed was suitable.

"Now what?" Monokrome asked.

Levitas didn't answer. Instead, he placed the book on the ground and took a few steps back. Once he was about five feet away, Gabriel clapped his hands together and placed his palms on the ground. Light traveled from his palms and began forming a large circle in the pavement. Once the two lights met on the other side of the circle, the traveled inwards, creating intricate lines and symbols until eventually they had drawn what appeared to be a large spell circle.

Monokrome watched the spectacle in wonder. Once the symbol was finished, it shone brightly for a second, and then faded away, leaving the ground looking as if nothing had ever happened.

"The spell circle is still there," Levitas explained, "It is merely hidden. Should our query appear, the circle will activate, trapping them where they stand."

Gabriel straightened up and looked at Monokrome, "Any questions?"

"No," Monokrome shook his head, "I'm just contemplating all the _Fullmetal Alchemist _jokes I could probably make right now."

Gabriel cocked his head, "What's _Fullmetal Alchemist_?"

"Long story," Monokrome said, "So what do we do now?"

"The hardest part," Gabriel said, looking for a suitable perch, "We wait."

* * *

Sachel held her head in her hands as she sat in the couch of her apartment. As relieved as she was to finally have all of her memories back, it left her with more questions. How had she survived? Why did her revival lead to her amnesia? Did the council know she was still alive, and if so, why hadn't they tried to contact her?

Sachel did the math in her head. It had been about two months since she woke up in the diner, so she could only assume that if the other Archangels knew she was alive, they would have tried to contact her.

The Archangel groaned. _They've believed that I was dead for two months, _she thought remorsefully. Her thoughts turned to Monokrome, and guilt swelled inside of her as she thought about the pain she must have put him through.

_It couldn't have been much different from the pain I felt when Lexicon died, _she thought.

Suddenly, Sachel started.

"Lexicon!" she exclaimed. Jennifer Conner, the woman she had been friends with all this time, was Lexicon's mother!

Tears welled up in Sachel's eyes as she remembered her best friend's death, marked as a sacrifice by the villains Vendettuh and Beelzebub as a means to strike pain and hatred into her heart.

A tear rolled down Sachel's face. _Jennifer lost her daughter…because of me, _she thought remorsefully, _And she…she has no idea._

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door.

"Kristin? Kristin, are you in there?" Sachel almost gasped at the sound of Jennifer's muffled voice from beyond the door. "Are you alright?"

Sachel didn't know what to do. How could she face Miss Conner now knowing what she knows now? Could she look her in the eye knowing that she was responsible for her daughter's death?

Tentatively, Sachel got up from the couch and slowly walked towards the door. She quickly dried her tears, and, with a second's hesitation, opened the door.

Jennifer stood on the other side, worry etched across her face.

"Are you all right?" she asked in concern, "When you left the cemetery-"

"I'm fine," Kristin hurriedly interjected, "I just got a headache, nothing more. I'm sorry if I worried you."

Miss Conner nodded but looked unconvinced, "Well, if there's anything you need…"

Kristin nodded then bid her neighbor good night. She closed the door and leaned against it, sliding to the floor.

_Coward, _the Archangel thought to herself. After a moment of allowing her misery to run its course, she collected herself and stood up.

_No, _she thought. _There will be a time to confront Jennifer about Lexicon, but until then there are other things I need to do._

Sachel grabbed her coat and exited her apartment. First things first, she needed to see the face of somebody she loved.

She needed to find Monokrome.

* * *

Monokrome and Levitas had been waiting for their query for three hours in their nesting area atop a nearby building. As the night dragged on, Monokrome remembered stakeouts being one of the things he hadn't missed about being a cop.

"I'm beginning to think we were wrong," Monokrome said to Gabriel, "Maybe what happened to Elizabeth was only a one-time incident."

Levitas shook his head, "Patience, Richard. In the event that your perpetrator is in need of more darkness, it will take time for him or her to take notice of our bait, and even longer to travel to it."

The Grey Warrior grunted. He knew this already, and this wasn't his first time in this position, but for some reason, patience was hard for him to come by today.

Levitas shifted in his spot, "While we are waiting, there is a matter I have been wishing to discuss with you."

Monokrome looked over at the Archangel, "Oh?"

Levitas took a moment to respond, mulling over his thoughts. When he eventually spoke, his tone was layered with concern.

"We've been watching over you, as I had mentioned, over the last couple of months."

Monokrome did not like where this was going.

"What we have seen has us concerned. We couldn't help but notice that over the past months that you had gotten…reckless. Particularly, we saw you're battle with the Brainiac Sub Avatar."

Monokrome felt uncomfortable as Levitas looked at him.

"Why do you so intently seek death?"

Monokrome continued to look on into the distance. Levitas may not have been able to see his face, but he could see his mixture of hurt, anger, embarrassment, and shame, using the emotional vision angel's inherently possessed.

Monokrome spoke, the hurt obvious in his voice.

"Don't the Archangels have better things to do than to look over one human?" he said, his voice indicating his tightening throat.

"We tend to look out for those we count as our allies, Richard," Levitas said. "That's the thing about being an angel: we have the tendency to care."

Richard looked away, "It's…I don't _want _to die. It's not something I plan on happening, it's just…ever since Sachel died…ever since I lost her, I suppose I simply stopped caring whether or not I lived or died. It just…doesn't seem to matter anymore."

Levitas looked at the telekinetic hero, sorrow hidden by the glow of his face. He opened his mouth to say more, but before he got the chance, a sound from below caught his attention.

The two heroes looked down to see an unnatural shadow beginning to cover the alleyway. Levitas cringed as he felt an unholy presence below.

"Whoever he is…he's here," the Archangel said.

Monokrome studied the shadow for a moment. It grew to cover the book, leaving the Grey Warrior and the Archangel blind to their trap.

"You're empathy vision. Can you see anything down there?" Monokrome asked.

Levitas shook his head, "Whatever is causing the darkness, it is interfering with my vision."

_Another feat accomplished by Nathan, _Monokrome thought. _Is it possible that it really is him down there?_

A loud sizzling sound followed by a strange shrieking sound interrupted his thoughts.

"The trap has been activated," Levitas said.

Monokrome nodded and leapt into action, jumping down the building onto the ground below. Levitas followed suit, and when he landed, a large burst of light accompanied his landing, dispelling the shadow.

The first thing Monokrome saw was the spell circle. It was glowing on the ground with the book at its center. Chains of light had burst from the circle, and now wrapped around a figure in the center struggling to be free. When Monokrome saw what they had caught in their trap, however, the blood drained from his face.

"Gabriel," he said, his voice quivering, "What in God's name is that?"

Beside him, Levitas stood up, a similar look of shock on his own face.

"I…," he said, "I have no idea."


	8. Ch 8: Focus

Blackout Ch.8

Focus

Sachel stepped out of the salon, relishing in her hair returning to its original form. How she had been able to stand letting it get so long, she will never know.

She walked down the streets of Metropolis, the evening sun warming her neck. Before she found Richard, there was something else she needed to do first.

Upon exiting her apartment, Sachel had tried summoning her angel wings, only for nothing to happen. Upon further investigation, she realized that most of her angelic abilities were missing.

She shouldn't have been surprised. She had used her own angelic energy in the fight against Nathan, using it to cancel out his demonic energy. It was actually a miracle that enough of her had been left for her to survive, let alone be a full angel.

It didn't matter, though. Sachel could already feel her power returning, and it wouldn't be long until she was back at her best. For now however, she needed a little help.

Sachel looked up as she reached her destination, a large, abandoned church. Its windows and doors were boarded up, and many of the planks from the walls were missing. The Archangel looked around and, satisfied that no one was around to see her, she placed her hand on the boarded up door. A glowing green rectangle appeared around her hand as the concealed interface scanned her handprint. After a few seconds, a hissing sound emanated from the door as the wooden front recessed into the doorway and slid aside.

If anyone had managed to get past the door, they probably would of expected something grand inside. A technical laboratory, perhaps, or maybe a communication hub with blinking screens and monitors covering the walls.

Instead, all that was inside was a rundown church. The pews were dusty and in disarray, the walls were covered with cobwebs and mold, and a broken down pipe organ lay in the back corner.

Sachel saw none of this, however. Her gaze was focused on the altar in the back. While it wasn't a model of cleanliness and proper care, it still seemed a little more taken care of than its surroundings. Its layer of dust was much thinner, and the cross placed on top of it seemed almost shiny in the bleak room.

The Archangel walked towards the altar as the door slid closed behind her. Upon reaching it, she knelt before it and gave a silent prayer for all of those that she knew and loved. When she finished her prayer, she stood and placed her finger at the center of the cross. A small spark shone for a moment as a small portion of light was transferred to it.

A soft groan emitted from below the altar as it began to slide backwards. Once it had moved back far enough, it revealed the top of a metal cage-like cabinet that began to rise from the ground. Once the cabinet had emerged completely, Sachel opened its doors and smiled at its contents.

Inside was a wardrobe. The doors holstered two tri-bladed katars and an assortment of explosive shruiken, gas pellets, communicator's, tasers, and other such gadgets, while the center contained a black trench coat with contemporary tech shoulder pieces, a red undershirt, black and red robotic gloves, and black tall trim boots. The item that gave Sachel the most joy however, sat in a cradle behind her uniform: a plexiglass set of red and silver tech wings.

Of all the powers that Sachel had been granted as an angel, the one she loved the most was flight. When her status as an Archangel was stripped for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorra, flight was the one she tirelessly worked to regain. Now, as she looked at the magnificent pair of wings once again, she once again felt the sky's irresistible pull.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, a black and red blur streaked through the sky. Kristin Rose was gone. Archangel Sachel had returned.

* * *

Monokrome and Gabriel looked in shock at the creature that stood before them.

It was a gigantic creature that seemed to be pulled from their nightmares. From the waist up, it was a large, skinless, humanoid creature, with a large skeletal structure whose bulging muscles seemed randomly slapped on. Its large arms sported clawed hands that dug into the light chains binding it in place. Its entire body was black except for the orange glow that seemed to emanate from with it, as if magma ran through its veins instead of blood. A large pair of demonic wings sprang from the creature's impossibly broad shoulders, and its head was adorned with four large horns and a mouth that seemed to consist entirely of sharp, pointed teeth.

Below its waist, a large insectoid body sprouted four spider-like yet very strong legs, making the creature have the appearance of a twisted centaur from hell.

Monokrome took a step back, "Are you sure that isn't some kind of demon? It looks like one to me!"

Gabriel shook his head, "All of the demons I've ever come across are more or less humanoid. The most monstrous I can imagine is Trigon's Avatar of Sin."

Before they could talk further, the creature grabbed ahold of the light chains and, with an unearthly roar, tore them apart, causing a large burst of energy.

The force of the blast knocked Monokrome and Levitas off their feet. Monokrome looked up and saw the demon on all sixes, revealing a row of spikes running down its spine.

Monokrome's eyes widened as the creature opened its mouth. Instead of another roar, dark tentacles sprang from its open maw. Monokrome sprang to his feet and sliced at the tentacles. The tentacles he failed to dismember, he was able to push away with his telekinesis.

An image suddenly appeared of Vendettuh, the villain who had tried to kill him as well as one of his old friends. He remembered Vendettuh's death, put in the same situation, trying to keep Nathan's dark tentacles at bay with Monokrome's sword, only to fail and die. Monokrome did his best to keep such images out, but with every tentacle he kept back, the image became more vivid.

Beside him, Levitas managed to keep the tentacles at bay by peppering them with blasts of lightning. To Monokrome's horror, one dark tendril made its way past the Archangel's defenses and wrapped around his neck.

"Gabriel!" Monokrome shouted as he pushed another tendril back. Levitas struggled to get loose of the tendril as it attempted to drain him. After a second, however, the lightning wielder stopped fighting, and laughed.

"Trying to drain darkness from an angel?" he said, "Perhaps you'll find this more fulfilling!"

The creature screeched as a small torrent of light rushed through the tentacle into the creature's mouth. The creature let go of Levitas and retracted its tentacles quickly, recoiling in pain as the light entered its system.

Levitas straightened up.

"Whatever it is," he said, "it is indeed a creature of darkness."

Monokrome was about to reply, but never got the chance as the creature recovered and charged at them with its horned head. Monokrome dove out of the way just in time, but Levitas was not so lucky. The beast crashed into him head on, causing him to fly backwards. Monokrome was about to go after him, but the dark creature reared on him and trapped him against the wall. Monokrome struggled to get free, to no avail. The creature opened its mouth again, and the Grey Warrior felt with a tinge of fear the dark tendrils wrapping around his neck.

He began to see darkness flow through the tentacle into the creature, and Monokrome's vision began to blur…

_Detective Richard Grare's feet pounded the pavement as he chased after the criminal he was after. The hitman named Victor Hashan rounded a corner and disappeared into the alley. Richard rounded it after him and found Falcone's assassin stopped to catch his breath._

_Victor laughed as he straightened up, "Nice chase Richard. Way to make it look good. Even I began to think you were really after-"_

_The hitman stopped as he turned around and found Richard's gun pointed at him._

"_Richard?" Victor said, "What are you doing?"_

_Richard's hand shook, livid with betrayal._

"_Five years," he said, his voice dripping with anger, "We sheltered you for five years, and it didn't occur to you to tell us you were Falcone's hitman!?"_

_Richard imagined that Victor's look of shock paled compared to his own._

"_Are you kidding me Richard, do you realize what kind of hell that would've fallen on me if I had told you the truth right out the gate? Can you really tell me you would have trusted me if I had come to you claiming to be a hitman?"_

"_I don't know what to think anymore," Richard said, "Right now I have to consider everything you've ever told me was a lie."_

_The two stood still for a moment, Richard's gun pointed at Victor. Summoning what little resolve he had left, Richard aimed it at his friend's heart._

"_Put your hands on your head," the detective said, summoning his most commanding voice. "Victor Hashan, you are under arrest."_

_The look of betrayal in Victor's eyes was not one Richard would forget anytime soon. After a moment's hesitation, however, the hitman raised his hands above his head. _

_Richard took a step towards Victor, but without warning, he lashed forward, grabbing Richard's gun, yanking it from the detective's grip. Victor quickly spun behind Richard and drove his elbow into his spine, causing lights of pain to flash in Richard's eyes, before wrapping his arm around his former handler's and throwing him to the ground._

_Richard looked up and saw his own gun pointing at his face, its wielder seething in anger._

"_So this is how it's going to go for us, Richard?" Victor growled, "I would've thought friendship meant a little more than that to you."_

"_Richard, Victor, what the hell's going on?"_

_Richard looked in surprise as his partner David at the mouth of the alleyway. Richard tried to shout a warning, but before he could, Victor Hashan turned at the noise and fired._

A bright light interrupted Monokrome's vision as an arc of lightning struck the tendril wrapped around his throat.

Monokrome collapsed on the ground gasping for air as more lightning bolts pushed the creature back. Levitas appeared at Monokrome's side, firing a beam of lightning at the beast.

"Are you okay?" the angel asked.

"I'll…I'll live," Monokrome groaned, "Just give me a moment."

"I believe I can buy you that," Levitas said, lifting off the ground and firing more bolts at the beast. The creature tried to ward off the blasts, but to no avail. Instead, it opened its mouth, but instead of the dark tendrils again, a stream of magma erupted from its maw.

Levitas erected a force field of electricity, which the magma met with a burst of force. The archangel struggled to maintain the field for as long as he could, but before long, the shield broke against the creature's assault. As Levitas fell to the ground, the beast pounded its forelegs into the ground. A group of dark tentacles erupted from the earth beneath Levitas, catching him in their entrapment.

Levitas started to struggle against his bonds, but stopped as darkness began to flow through the tentacles, causing him to convulse and scream in agony. Monokrome struggled to his feet and realized with a sensation of horror that the darkness wasn't flowing out of the archangel.

It was flowing in.


	9. Ch 9: Pain

Blackout Ch. 9

Pain

Archangel Sachel stood on the rooftops of Metropolis, gazing as the night fell over the City of Tomorrow. She had always marveled the sight the twilight sky reflecting off of the buildings' windows, and seeing it again filled her with a sense of calm satisfaction she had greatly missed.

After a moment of silent admiration, Sachel reached into the inside pocket of her coat, and retrieved a small package. She opened it to reveal a small earbud, a communicator issued by the Justice League. Ever since the destruction of hers left her unable to contact Lexicon in time to save her, she had made a point to keep a spare one in all of her outfits.

Sachel inserted the communicator into her ear and felt a slight hum into her ear as it came to life.

"Unit Alpha to Watchtower, uplink code 586437. Come in Oracle."

After a few seconds of silence, there was a quick burst of static, soon followed by a familiar voice.

"Uplink successful, connection established. Welcome to the Justice League, rookie. Does our new hero have a name?"

Sachel could only smile.

"Only if you can remember it, Computer whiz."

Sachel smiled again when, after a second of silence, she heard intake of breath.

"I can't believe it. Sachel!?"

The Angel of Tech chuckled, "It's good to hear your voice again, my friend."

Soon after joining the League, Sachel and Oracle had quickly struck up a fond friendship due to their shared interest in technology. While there respective roles in the League left little time for a true blossoming friendship, they still enjoyed talking from time to time.

"How...I mean, how can you...what happened?" Oracle asked, flustered.

"It's a long story. Listen, I want to catch up, but first there's something I need to do. Is there any chance you could tell me where Monokrome is?" she asked, hoping Oracle could track his communicator.

Oracle took a minute to respond, and when she did, she seemed uncomfortable.

"Yeah, um...Monokrome. I'm sorry, Sachel, but not long after you...disappeared...Monokrome left the Justice League. He said he needed time to himself or something like that, but he hasn't come back yet."

Sachel was taken aback by what Oracle had said. _Monokrome left the League?_

"If it helps," Oracle continued, "I can tell you he's currently in Metropolis. Batman managed to convince him to help us out with a case involving something he's encountered before."

Sachel nodded, "Thanks Oracle, I'll call you again when I can. Listen, can you do me a favor and not tell anyone I'm back yet? Coming back from the dead takes a little bit of recovery time, and there are some things I need to take care of before I come back."

Oracle chuckled, "Of course, just let me know if there's anything else I can help you with, ok?"

"Will do," Sachel said, and turned off her communicator.

While she couldn't figure out what it was exactly, the news of Monokrome leaving the Justice League troubled the Archangel. Monokrome had always taken his role in the war against Brainiac seriously, and for him to abandon it just like that, even over her, something about it didn't sit right with Sachel.

The Angel of Tech activated her wings and took off into the darkening sky. It was comforting to know Monokrome was in Metropolis, but it was a big city and she had no leads on where to look for him. This could possibly be a very long night.

* * *

Monokrome watched in horror as the creature Levitas and he were fighting poured darkness into the Archangel. Monokrome was unsure of the exact consequences of injecting darkness into an angelic being, but judging by the blood-curdling screams coming from Gabriel at this moment, it couldn't be good.

The Grey Warrior struggled to his feet, doing his best to shake off the weakness the dark-harvester had left him with. Summoning every ounce of strength he had, the ex-detective leaped underneath Levitas, swinging his sword as hard as he could, severing the dark tendrils.

Not wasting any time or momentum, Monokrome, spun towards the creature, hurling his sword at it. Using his telekinetic abilities as a stabilizer, Monokrome sent the sword directly into the monster's maw. The creature made a gurgling howling sound as the projectile pierced the back of its throat, causing it to rear back in pain.

Monokrome did not relent, however. Using his telekinesis, Monokrome pulled the sword out with force, only to stab the creature again through the chest. He continued to telekineticly stab, slash, and impale the creature over and over again. The creature did its best to swat the painful object away that was attacking it, but the object was too small and moving too fast for it to get a hold of it. Eventually, the creature dissolved itself into smoke, and, with a final, frustrated scream, disappeared into a nearby manhole.

Monokrome sighed in relief as he collapsed, his energy spent. In front of him, his sword collapsed, no longer in his control, covered in the creatures dark essence.

The Grey Warrior heard a moaning sound behind him, and when he looked back, he was shocked by what he saw.

Specter Levitas's glow was gone. Underneath his hood, Monokrome could see the angel's face, but what he saw frightened him. Gabriel's once golden hair and beard had gone black and grey, the white's of his eyes had gone dark, and parts of his skin and costume had been ripped away, oozing a black substance.

Monokrome rushed over to the Archangel, "Gabriel, are you ok? What's wrong?"

Tremors wracked the Archangel's body as he struggled to speak.

"Essence...corrupted...need...to return...to...Heaven."

Monokrome nodded, but before he could do anything, Gabriel's body began to dissolve into a golden light.

"I'll return...when I can...I'm sorry...I couldn't help...more."

Monokrome nodded his goodbye and, with that, the Archangel of Love was gone.

The Grey Warrior sighed, and retrieved his sword.

Today's development's were troubling ones. He had learned that his culprit was in fact a supernatural monster, one that even an Archangel knew nothing about, and now the only help he had been able to find had been temporarily disposed of. Hopefully, a magical analysis of the creature's essence might prove something useful.

Monokrome looked up at the sky. Night had fallen, so he figured he would send the samples to the Watchtower and then head to his hotel room for the night. Once morning came, there was something he felt he needed to do.

* * *

Dawn had broken over the horizon as a rental car pulled into the entrance of the Metropolis cemetery. The car drove for a good five minutes, driving deeper into the mourning site, before finally arriving at its destination.

The door opened and Richard Grare stepped out of the car, spotting the gravestone he was looking for almost immediately. It didn't take much effort, he had been come here many times before.

A soft wind ruffled the bottom of Richard's coat as he read the inscription on the stone:

David Stoan

Loving husband and partner

October 16th, 1968 - May 3rd, 2009

David lived and worked and Gotham, but he had told Richard early on that he was born and raised in Metropolis. After Victor had killed him, Richard made a point to get him back to his family. He did his best to visit whenever he was in Metropolis.

Richard knelt before his old partner and sighed.

"Some detective I turned out to be," he said, "I had divine intervention on my side and I still couldn't get the job done."

Richard sighed again and shook his head.

"I just don't know what to do anymore, David. I am completely out of my depth with this one. I'm not so sure I can do it on my own."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have to."

Richard started in surprise and shock at the voice behind him. He knew that voice but...no, it couldn't be.

Richard stood up, and slowly turned around. Standing before him was a sight he was almost unwilling to believe.

A young woman with a black trench coat stood in front of him, her black bob haircut blowing in the wind.

Richard could hardly find his voice.

"S-Sachel?"

Sachel smiled as a tear rolled down her face.

"Hello Richard."


	10. Ch 10: Sadness

Blackout Ch. 10

Sadness

Deep beneath the streets of Gotham, a lone figure shrouded in darkness traversed through the dark tunnels of the city's sewers. A large dark grey cloak trailed behind it as it wandered through the murky network beneath Gotham's streets. From a certain angle, the figure would almost appear human in proportion, if not for the enormous twisted left arm.

The route the figure walked was burned into its brain, and its feet seemed to move on their own. This was fortunate for the figure, as the entity's mind was immersed by a tempest of voices, emotions, and memories that threatened to swallow the entity's identity. The figure struggled to move forward as it fought to pick out its own memories from the rest. It was a chore it had become quite skilled at, as the sea of emotion threatened to overwhelm it every time it fed. It dared not to give into the storm. It had seen what happened to those who succumbed. It had seen him...the monstrosity in Metropolis. It refused to become like him, not when it had so much more that it needed to do, not when there was her.

The figure reached its destination: a rustic old door sealed shut by a dark unearthly glow. The figure raised its large sickly inhuman arm and touched the glow, causing it to dissipate. The entity pushed the door open, but stopped before going in, once again trying to quell the voices. Had the figure only been feeding itself, this would not be an issue as the voices would die out as they were absorbed by its essence. These days, however, it was not so simple.

The figure walked into a musky room, surrounded by damp concrete and completely bare but for the bundle of rags and blankets piled up in the far corner. The figure approached the rags and heard a frightened growl accompanied a hiss like mewing.

_She's dreaming, _the figure thought.

It reached out its humanoid arm and slowly placed it on top of the pile. There was a huge jerk as the creature underneath flew out from underneath. The figure felt a clawed hand grasp its throat as the makeshift bed's occupant stared at it with red, fear stricken eyes. The creature was almost human, with jet black hair obscuring one of her eyes and pitch black skin covering an athletic female body. Aside from her skin, the only thing differentiating her from a normal human were her claws, a pair of razor sharp teeth, and her long tail.

The figure calmly placed its hand over the clawed hand clutching its throat and gently pushed it down. The second creature's eyes regained focus, and upon realizing who the figure was, released its throat and curled itself into the figure's chest. The figure wrapped its normal arm around the trembling creature. It always admired how beautiful she looked. Aside from the claws and the fangs, she had appeared the most out of all of them. The figure wondered if, unlike itself and the monstrosity, there was ever any true evil in this scared creature at all, or if she had simply...become the way she was.

The figure hugged the whimpering creature tighter in its normal arm, while it raised its more monstrous on before it. A small orb a pulsating dark energy formed in its gnarled palm. The figure held it up to the scared creature as it felt relief at the calming voices in its mind. The creature grabbed at the energy and savagely consumed it, like a starved animal would consume its prey.

The figure watched the creature dine, sadness growing inside it. The creature finished her meal and curled up into a ball, shivering as the wave of images entered her mind. The figure once again held it close as the creature struggled against the flood until, soon afterward, she drifted back off to sleep._  
_

_Sleep well, my beautiful girl, _the figure thought, _Someday soon...he will be gone, and maybe, just maybe...we will be free._

* * *

Deep in the darkness of Metropolis's underground, a dark, monstrous creature slithered. It had been dealt pain, and anger flowed through it's veins as sure as it's magma-like blood.

The creature stopped, as if something caught its attention. It raised its head and sniffed the air. It sensed a great amount of energy somewhere far away. It was a strange scent, yet there was something about it that was very familiar. Whatever it was, it was very strong for the monster to be able to detect it from such a distance. The creature reared on its spider-like legs and roared. It had very far to travel and a very large meal to hunt down.

The monster scampered through the the tunnel towards its prey. Had the creature had the intellect to think as much, it would have realized it new the name of the energy's location. Even so, the name pulsed throughout the tempest of images, emotion, and memory that coursed through the monsters brain like a heartbeat.

_Gotham..._

_Gotham..._

_Gotham..._


End file.
